Art inspired by Holocaust survivor's life to be exhibited in Falmouth, Dec. 19

Heather McCarron, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read
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Ruth Oppenheim's experience escaping Nazi Germany and surviving the Holocaust is the inspiration behind an art exhibit by her daughter, Claudia Cameron, which will be open for the public to view on Dec. 19 in Falmouth. Pictured is Ruth Oppenheim, now 95, in front of one of her daughter's paintings at a past exhibit of the work. This is just the second time the work is being exhibited.

FALMOUTH — It was the night of Nov. 9, 1938 when the Nazis arrived in Werne on the Lippe, near Dortmund — the little German town where Ruth Oppenheim and her family lived.

"The frightening sounds of that infamous night remain with me … the pounding on the front door. The Nazi boots on the pavement of the otherwise quiet main street of my little town … crystal being smashed downstairs in our house as we hovered upstairs … my mother's wrenching sobs," she later wrote in her memoir, "Beyond Survival: The Story of My Life."

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It was happening all over Germany that night, known as Kristallnacht. And it was just one of the frightening experiences of Nazi Germany and the ensuing Holocaust that inspired Oppenheim's daughter, Claudia Cameron, to create a series of artwork telling the story.

On Monday, the Falmouth Jewish Congregation, 7 Hatchville Road, East Falmouth, will host a special, one-day-only showing of that art, from noon to 3 p.m., in an exhibit called "My Mother's Story: Paintings by Claudia Cameron." Pamela Rothstein, director of Lifelong Learning at the Falmouth Jewish Congregation, said 17 works are in the exhibit, one of which is an abstract representation of Kristallnacht.

"It's a very stirring exhibit, really very moving," she said of the exhibit, which also displays excerpts from Oppenheim's memoir.

While the 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, who lives in Rhode Island, will not be present, her son, Jeff Oppenheim, will be there — he and his wife, Valerie, are among the congregation's co-founders. The artist, from Maryland, also will not be present, but the local cable TV crew will have a recording of her comments about her work. They are also putting together a video presentation for Falmouth In Focus that includes Cameron's insights and an interview with Ruth Oppenheim.

Cameron said her art is a celebration of her mother's life, "and the impact of having left war-torn Nazi Germany and starting a new life in America." Oppenheim has often publicly shared stories about the difficulties the family faced after Kristallnacht, and their efforts to find refuge in the United States, where she landed in 1940.

Rothstein said sharing Oppenheim's story through words and art is all part of a legacy of awareness about the Holocaust, so it is not forgotten — particularly important, she said, at a time that is "rampant with bias, prejudice, antisemitism and hatred of all sorts."

Steve Kramer, a family friend, said the exhibit is "both powerful and educational."

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"Too many overlook the actual experience of those who lived through and were fortunate to escape the Holocaust. It is often reduced to a statistical footnote in history," he said. "This exhibit, through the paintings, the descriptions by Jeff and Claudia, and the book written by Ruth, provide a first-hand and real description of what transpired for those who endured and then escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany in the late '30s and early '40s."

Visitors to the exhibit, which is free, need to show proof of up-to-date COVID vaccination and to wear a mask. Copies of Ruth Oppenheim's memoir will be available for purchase at $25. Visit www.falmouthjewish.org for more information or call 508-540-0602.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Art inspired by Holocaust survivor's life to be exhibited in Falmouth